Gingerbread Goodies

Run, run, as fast as you can to hear versions of the classic tale of a bejewelled, saucy fellow.
Combined with the scrumptious smell of spicy gingerbread, December is sure to be a delicious treat.

Traditional Tale

Reread a traditional version, preferably in a big book format, until students are chanting along with the Gingerbread Man as he runs away. Extend the selection with one of the following activities:

• Sequencing: Using simple cards, students sequence the order in which characters chased the Gingerbread Man first, second, third, and so on.
• Retelling: Reread the tale using puppets from Longman, DLTK, or McGraw Hill.. Incorporate the puppets into a Literary Centre for students to manipulate at a later time.
• Writing: Students describe how they would catch the Gingerbread Man.
• Glyph: Students decorate the gingerbread manaccording to the glyph's legend.

Gingerbread Baby

Jan Brett's Gingerbread Baby is an adaptation of a classic tale. The ensuing chase to catch the spirited runaway cookie presents a surprising, and less traumatic twist. Enrich the tale using the following activities:

• Comparing: Create a Venn Diagram contrasting Gingerbread Baby with the more traditional Gingerbread Man story.
• Retelling: Dramatize the story using character masks from Jan Brett's Web site.
• Author Profile: Watch an online video featuring Jan Brett reading and drawing the Gingerbread Baby.
• Decorate The Ginger Baby's House (Jan Brett): Design and print your own Gingerbread Baby House by dragging and dropping the candy decorations onto the house.
• Read Gingerbread Friends, a delicious sequel to Jan Brett's lovable Gingerbread Baby.

Alternate Versions

There are many versions and adaptations of the classic tale.The New York Gingerbread Boy, the hilarious version in the Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales, The Musubi Man, The Matzah Man: A Passover Story,, and the Cajun Gingerbread Boyare delicious renderings of that sassy cookie escaping from its hot confinement! Share Hanukkah versions of The Gingerbread Man with the mischievous cumulative tales of The Runaway Latkes and Runaway Dreidel!.

• Comparing: Create a story map to compare the adapted versions. Contrast the settings, characters, and events in the stories.

The Travelling Gingerbread Man

Explore versions of the Gingerbread Man from other countries. The Runaway Rice Cake, The Runaway Tortilla, The Bun, and The Gingerbread Cowboy retell the traditional tale in a different settings.

• Graphing: Create a graph showing which story was the students' favourite.
• Writing: Have students imagine what a Canadian Gingerbread Boy would be like and say? During the ensuing chase, what animals might the Boy be running from? Create a class book of the Canadian characters. Extend the concept of characterization by sharing The Gingerbread Rabbit, The Gingerbread Kid,and the ill-fated Gingerbread Boy's smarter sister, The Gingerbread Girl.



Gingerbread Houses

Share Maisy Makes Gingerbread, My Gingerbread House, Peek-A-Boo Gingerbread House, and It’s A Gingerbread House.

• Sequencing: Display each step from the book on a sentence strip. Students sequence the steps in a pocket chart. Accompanying pictures from the book can be used to assist emergent readers.
• Graphing (A To Z Kids Stuff): Students take ONE bite from their gingerbread man. On a large cutout of a gingerbread man, they come up and write their name on the part they ate first (head, arm, leg). After they devour the remainder of the cookie, make a large graph to find out which part was eaten the most first.
• Who's In My Gingerbread House?: Students create a gingerbread house. Inside the house, they list possible visitors.

Gingerbread Literacy Centres

• Gingerbread Word Wall (Sandi Reyes): Each set contains a 8 ½" x 11" chart with words and colour images relating to the topic, as well as correlating cut apart picture/word cards.
• Gingerbread Contractions (KinderPrintables) For additional practice, download page two.
• Gingerbread Counting (KinderPrintables)
• Gingerbread Tic-Tac-Toe (KinderPrintables)
• Gingerbread Antonyms (KinderPrintables)
• Who Stole The Cookie From The Cookie Jar?
  Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?
  (Student's name) stole the cookie from the cookie jar.
  Who me?
  Yes you!
  Couldn’t be!
  Then who..